It seemingly took The Amity Affliction years to get their music together, releasing a demo in 2003 and a self-titled EP in 2004, but from the moment they released their High Hopes EP in 2007, the touring rampage began. In no time, The Amity Affliction was a household name amongst the hardcore community of Australia. Their mixture of metallic riffage, rock swagger and sing/scream vocal attacks made its mark on all who got in their way.
But it’s not just their music that people have taken notice of – Amity (as they are affectionately known) have an attitude and aura about their music and actions that has helped propel them even faster to the forefront of the scene. Fans come to their shows expecting flat out fun and excitement – the members always committing to making the party after the show as intense as the performance itself. The sing-along chants don’t end when the band gets off stage, and fans don’t leave after they play. With members involved in putting on punk rock clubs, music magazines, graffiti magazines, graphic design companies and online blogs that are well known throughout the country, Amity and it’s members are well ingrained into the culture and ethic of Australian hardcore culture.
‘Severed Ties’ was recorded in July and August of 2008, a grueling cross-country marathon of a record, recorded in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane to get the best results. With guest vocals from JJ Peters (Deez Nuts, I Killed the Prom Queen), Michael Crafter (I Killed the Prom Queen, Carpathian, Confession), Matthew Wright (The Getaway Plan) and Helmet (The Daylight Curse), and production with Adelaide’s Darren Thompson, the 11 track full length was released in October 2008.
Severed Ties debuted at #26 on the Australian Charts and solidified The Amity Affliction as one of the most popular "heavy" bands in Australia. Triple J's national radio show "Short Fast Loud" had Severed Ties as #2 on their best albums of 2008, and popular punk site "KillYourStereo.com" listed it as #1.
In mid 2010 the band released their sophmore record 'Youngbloods'. The album debuted at #6 on the ARIA charts and has since gained significant recognition with the album constantly being voted #1 for 2010 by the public and recognized magazines alike, beating out Parkway Drive's 'Deep Blue' on many occasions. The album saw Amity's popularity sky rocket as the band has since done a sold-out national tour, tour the UK,US and Europe as well as playing the Soundwave Festival. The band is set to go on their largest tour to date with the Destroy Music Tour during May.
In October, The Amity Affliction set out on a new Australian tour with support from Asking Alexandria and Skyway! the "Fuck the Reaper" tour sold out in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. starting 2012 off with a bang, The Amity Affliction toured the 2012 Big Day Out, with fellow label mates and good friends The Getaway Plan, before touring America alongside Asking Alexandria, Trivium and may others on the "Still Reckless Tour"
On 8 February 2012 it was announced that The Amity Affliction had been signed to Roadrunner Records for their next album and future. On 7 May 2012, the band headed over to Orlando, Florida to start recording their third album with producer Michael Baskette. On 7 June 2012 it was announced the band's 3rd album would be titled Chasing Ghosts and was set to be released on 7 September 2012 in Australia, 17 September for the UK, and 18 September for the US.
It was revealed in a news article and magazine cover posted on 13/14 August that guitarist Imran Siddiqi would no longer be a part of the band. Furthermore, Siddiqi then did not appear in the video clip for the single "Chasing Ghosts" released on 15 August. A fill in guitarist played their album tour and U.S tour in late 2012.
After the release of Chasing Ghosts, the band had an Australian nationwide tour in September–October promoting their new album with supporting acts The Ghost Inside, Architects and Buried In Verona. Amity appeared on Soundwave in 2013 in February–March and also Warped Tour Australia at the end of the year.
It was announced by Joel Birch on 24 March 2013 that Dan Brown was the new guitarist, although he did not appear on the "Open Letter" music video.
In 2013 The Amity Affliction was part of Warped Tour in the United States with Chad Hasty (Glass Cloud) on drums and percussion due to Ryan Burt severely damaging his cornea during a set in Portland, Oregon. Later in the tour vocalist Joel Birch was also hospitalized due to unspecified illness, forcing the band to cancel their set in Pittsburgh. The band's next show in Cleveland was played due to the help of Sam Carter (Architects), Jason Aalon Butler (Letlive.) and Chris Roetter (Like Moths To Flames) sharing the stage as replacement vocals for Joel. All shows after this were played with Joel back on vocals after his recovery.
Late in 2013 the band went on to play the "Brothers In Arms" tour across Europe and Australia with support acts Landscapes and In Hearts Wake for the European portion and Chelsea Grin, Stick To Your Guns and In Hearts Wake for the Australian segment. In late 2013, the band released a demo of the song "Cave In". The single was speculated to be featured on the upcoming album. However, this was proved false when the band announced the track list for their upcoming fourth studio album. The first single from the bands forthcoming album titled "Pittsburgh" was released on 14 April. The second single "Don't Lean On Me" was released on 15 May. The album itself, titled Let the Ocean Take Me, was released on 6 June in Australia, 9 June in the UK, and 10 June in the U.S. it debuted at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA albums chart, becoming the band's second consecutive No. 1.
On 11 October, lead guitarist Troy Brady announced that he had decided to leave the band, making Ahren Stringer the only original member left in the band.
On 18 May 2015, The Amity Affliction released a trailer for their upcoming documentary film titled Seems Like Forever on YouTube. The video description contains links to pre-order the film, released on 10 July 2015 as a stand-alone DVD or a deluxe two-disc edition CD version of Let the Ocean Take Me, including two unreleased tracks, "Skeletons" (featured in the trailer) and "Farewell".
On 18 May 2016, The Amity Affliction posted a video to their Facebook page announcing their fifth studio album, This Could Be Heartbreak. It was also announced that the album would be released on 12 August and the band also released the music video for the first single, "I Bring the Weather with Me". The song also features clean vocals from Joel Birch. . On 10 July the band released their second single for the album, the title track "This Could Be Heartbreak" along with a music video. On 9 August, the band released a lyric video for the song "All Fucked Up" on YouTube. The band was also featured on the Fearless compilation Punk Goes Pop Vol. 7, covering The Weeknd's hit song "Can't Feel My Face". A music video for the cover was released on 22 June 2017. The Amity Affliction officially announced that Ryan Burt departed from the band due to mental health concerns on February 5, 2018.
On 20 June 2018, The Amity Affliction released the first single, "Ivy (Doomsday)", from their upcoming sixth studio album, Misery. The band announced that the album will be released on 24 August through Roadrunner Records. The band released an official video along with the release of "Ivy (Doomsday)". The band released the song "Feels Like I'm Dying" as a second part to the "Ivy (Doomsday)" video. The official track listing was eventually revealed on the band's website. It is their 4th album in a row to hit #1 on the Aria Albums Chart.
Two years later the band returned with Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them, their first studio LP with new drummer Joe Longobardi.
Discography:
Early Demos (2004) (EP)
The Amity Affliction (2005) (EP)
High Hopes (2007) (EP)
Severed Ties (2008)
Youngbloods (2010)
Glory Days (2010) (Compilation Album)
Chasing Ghosts (2012)
Let The Ocean Take Me (2014)
This Could Be Heartbreak (2016)
Misery (2018)
Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them (2020)
Somewhere Beyond The Blue (2021) (EP)
Not Without My Ghosts (2023)
Members:
Joel Birch - Unclean Vocals (2004-present)
Ahren Stringer - Clean Vocals/Bass (2003-present)
Dan Brown - Rhythm, later lead guitar (2013-present)
Joe Longobardi - Drums (2018-present)
Troy Brady - Lead Guitar (2003-2009, 2011-2014)
Clint Owen Ellis - Lead Guitar (2009-2011)
Trad Nathan - Keyboards (2006-2011)
Ryan Burt - Drums (2008-2018)
Troels Thomasen - Drums (2005-2008)
Lost & Fading
The Amity Affliction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Weaker than you've ever been
Counting on a fading dream
The ocean gleaming emerald green
The saddest thing you've ever seen
Your feet stuck in the sinking sand
Your mind is reeling, shaky hands
Tears are streaming, sorrow calls
I'm lost and fading, life ain't great
My heart is breaking and life won't wait
There's no one there, no one around
There's not a soul and not a sound
So fucking young, heartbroken, daydreaming, lost focus
A weary soul, no truth to find
They were so lost where was your goodbye?
Your feet stuck in the sinking sand
Your mind is reeling, shaky hands
Tears are streaming, sorrow calls
With no one there to break your fall
I'm lost and fading, life ain't great
My heart is breaking and life won't wait
There's no one there, no one around
There's not a soul and not a sound
You've searched your soul for far too long
Your friend was lost, you carry on
You bear the burden of sorrow's past
But you were built, you were built to fucking last
You were built to last
I'm fading fast, out in the cold unknown
All sorrow here, so far from home
So far from home
I'm lost and fading, life ain't great
My heart is breaking and life won't wait
There's no one there, no one around
There's not a soul and not a sound
I'm lost and fading, life ain't great
My heart is breaking and life won't wait
There's no one there, no one around
There's not a soul and not a sound
No one around, and not a sound
No one around, and not a sound
The Amity Affliction’s song Lost & Fading deals with themes of loneliness and the feeling of being lost. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is young and heartbroken, with their mind constantly wandering and struggling to focus. They are weaker than they have ever been before and are counting on a fading dream. The setting is a beach with the emerald green ocean glimmering in the background. The juxtaposition between the beautiful scenery and the person’s inner turmoil gives an idea of the depth of the sadness they are experiencing. The person feels alone and helpless, with nobody there to help them when they fall.
The song continues with the same hauntingly sad tone, with the singer acknowledging that life is not great and their heart is breaking. There is nobody around them, and they are fading fast into the cold unknown. They feel far from home and surrounded by sorrow. However, there is a moment of hope in the lyrics where the person acknowledges that they were built to last. They bear the burden of their past and are searching for truth, but they know they can survive the pain.
Overall, the song Lost & Fading captures the loneliness and helplessness that people can feel when they are going through a tough time. However, it also emphasizes the resilience that people have within them to keep going and keep searching for hope.
Line by Line Meaning
So young, heartbroken, daydreaming, lost focus
Feeling lost and directionless in life, heartbroken and unable to move on, lost in daydreams and distractions, unable to focus on what truly matters.
Weaker than you've ever been
Feeling emotionally and mentally weaker than ever before, unable to cope with the struggles and challenges of life.
Counting on a fading dream
Holding onto a dream or goal that is slowly slipping away, losing hope and faith in the future.
The ocean gleaming emerald green
Seeing the beauty in the world around you, even in the midst of personal turmoil and pain.
The saddest thing you've ever seen
Feeling overwhelmed by the sadness and pain in your life, unable to see a way out or a way forward.
Your feet stuck in the sinking sand
Feeling trapped and unable to move forward, struggling to make progress in your life or overcome obstacles.
Your mind is reeling, shaky hands
Feeling overwhelmed and anxious, unable to think clearly or make decisions due to the intensity of your emotions.
Tears are streaming, sorrow calls
Feeling deep sadness and grief, unable to control your emotions or stop the pain from overwhelming you.
With no one there to break your fall
Feeling alone and unsupported, with no one to turn to for help or guidance.
I'm lost and fading, life ain't great
Expressing the overwhelming feelings of sadness, loneliness, and hopelessness in the face of life's challenges.
My heart is breaking and life won't wait
Feeling like time is running out to make a change or find happiness, while also feeling the deep pain of heartbreak and loss.
There's no one there, no one around
Feeling completely alone and isolated, without the support or help of others.
There's not a soul and not a sound
Feeling like the world around you is deserted, empty, and devoid of life or energy.
A weary soul, no truth to find
Feeling tired and drained, with no sense of meaning or purpose in life, searching for answers and direction.
They were so lost where was your goodbye?
Reflecting on a lost relationship or friendship, wondering where things went wrong and why it ended without closure or explanation.
You've searched your soul for far too long
Spending a long time in self-reflection and introspection, trying to understand your own thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Your friend was lost, you carry on
Dealing with the loss of a friend or loved one, while also continuing to navigate your own struggles and challenges in life.
You bear the burden of sorrow's past
Carrying the weight of past pain, loss, and hardship, and struggling to move forward and find happiness.
But you were built, you were built to fucking last
Recognizing your own resilience and strength, and believing that you have the power to overcome any challenge or difficulty.
I'm fading fast, out in the cold unknown
Feeling like you are losing control or losing yourself, facing the unknown and uncertain future with fear and anxiety.
All sorrow here, so far from home
Feeling overwhelmed by sadness and grief, feeling isolated and disconnected from the people and places that once brought comfort and support.
No one around, and not a sound
Feeling completely alone and abandoned, with no one to turn to for help or comfort.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Joel Birch, Ahren Stringer, Daniel Brown, Ryan Burt, Troy Brady
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zach Latham
Most of their songs have helped me through some shit. I love the feeling I get when I connect with this music.
Mark De Mars
Zach Latham So do I. I always never knew what they were all about but last year it became tough and especially at times this year their music really has helped me feel better and made me a better person to the point of where I’m at currently. Started listening these guys last year just trying to find new bands to enjoy and new music to listen to.
glowrillaz
istg me too! one of my friend judges me for saying that TAA and 3DG are my favorite bands but they are! they helped me through tough times and i'll always be loyal to them ♡
Buijberts Van De Buurt
true that
ethano rawlinsino
This album Is just ridiculous I mean seriously every single song just blows my mind and kicks my ass, there's so much love and soul in this album and the meanings don't even get me started. THIS ALBUM IS THE BEST
Mcjooger noogets
DV8 umm no comparison lol
ethano rawlinsino
It's truly amazing
Cynthia Bravo
+ethano rawlinsino this whole album touches my life. Deep and compassionate.
ethano rawlinsino
I love you
Warrior Tha Witt
+ethano rawlinsino Youngbloods-Their new single Shine On is just PPPUUUURRREEEE BLISSSS